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The Light continues to improve and we had a fantastically warm and golden morning.
One of the groups (we split up as we leave in the mornings to double our collective chances) spotted Pink Nose, the randy Leopard out and about on the edge of the conservancy whilst we had some fantastic luck with a lone Hippo out in the open.
We then rounded off the day with a fantastic view of two Giraffe competing for dominance.
Back in business this morning and the sunrise promised some great light.
The usual absence of Giraffe was evident as the clouds lit up and we set about some sunrise landscapes, getting out and low to the ground as well as popping out of the roof of the cars.
It was great to finally see a glorious Mara sunrise.
The vast open plains of the Mara really show off a good sky.
The Group hard at work with some interesting cloud formations.
We then moved onwards to see what animals we could locate whilst the early light was bathing the plains in the golden light.
As luck would have it we happened upon this chap grazing out in the open…
Hippos are very wary, especially out of the water so we kept a reasonable distance.
A small, but nasty wound on the head provided an opportunity for this Oxpecker.
After a brief window of photography we could see he was getting more uncomfortable with us, so we backed off and made our way over to the other group who were hot on the trail of Pink-Nose.
The other group got some great shots and this was the fleeting grab I managed upon our arrival. Patrick’s skills in the car over the rocks to get even this were amazing!
We then made our way across the plains and as the light become much harsher with every passing minute, we saw an opportunity for some silhouettes with these playful young Topi.
Horizon Silhouettes are always a balancing act as the closer you are to the animal, the less of an outline you get and the ground soon cuts through the animal’s mid rift.
I always try and teach the guests to not be afraid of some cropping and these, whilst heavily cropped stand up fantastically. Modern cameras can certainly take it and abstract shapes enlarge very easily as well. Of course filling the frame with your desired composition is best, but missing shots because they will be 12 cropped megapixels rather than 36 (in the case of the D800) is a criminal act if the shot is there to be had!
The height reached was astonishing.
A shy Cheetah in the Mara… Who would have thought it! Very wary and we promptly moved on so as not to disturb him.
Before arriving back at camp we just had to stop and work with these wallowing Elephants.
After our lunch and chill out back at camp, we made our way out for the afternoon drives, making our way up high in the conservancy..
This lady we knew to have cubs and was clearly hungry and looking for food. Unfortunately the area around was pretty quiet.
Then as the sunset drew in… A real treat. Two Giraffe having a fight for dominance. The size difference was clear and this precluded a real mighty showdown but the spectacle unfolded in front of the setting sun and was fantastic to see at close quarters.
And with that it was back to our home away from home Kicheche Bush to enjoy some well earned food and drinks.
Thanks for reading folks! Please do head over to facebook and twitter if you have any questions or just to say hi. I really do appreciate it!
Richard.
If you have been enjoying these posts please drop me a line on Facebook or twitter as I love getting your messages and it spurs me on to do more. Questions on any aspect of the trip welcome too! We also have ONE LAST tent on our September 2014 Safari if you fancy seeing it all for yourself and improving your own photography.
Below you can see all the current blog entries followed by an archive of past diaries made when running my photography workshops out in the bush!
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